successful and unsuccessful craft experiments

Menu

The Holidays are coming. KLTFCP!!!

I know you’ve all been waiting for it.
I know you’ve all been dreaming of it.
I know your festive diaries aren’t complete without it… the blow by blow account of…* to be referred to a KLTFCP from this point onwards

It is one of the social events of the year (in the same sequin covered stash as Eurovision) and is always a great display of tiny food, christmas jumpers, prosecco and very good people who are extraordinarily ace.

This year was no different, with heaps of bubbles and a selection of tiny canapes, that the ambassadors ball would have envied. BRAVA HOSTESS LAMBO.

Like last year Katie, asked if I’d make a some tiny food for the ‘sweets’ category, as she was so spectacularly covering the ‘savoury’ side of things. After last year’s Cake Pop debacle, I thought I’d go for something, which was a tried and tested classic and just make it tiny- instead of some trendy crap on a stick.

It was time to pull out my favourite Brownie recipe, from Blue Peter.
I have made this a million times with all kinds of variations and all of them have been pretty goddamn yum.
They are so easy to make and take half the prep time and ingredients of some other brownie recipes I’ve seen.

I was a great Blue Peter fan and my tenure was accompanied by the presenter combo of, Matt Baker, Konnie Huq, Simon Thomas and Liz Barker. They would fill the BBC 1 after school slot, creating a dreamy run from Blue Peter, to Newsround, to Neighbours.

As it’s Christmas time I should really be making a snazzy, coat hanger Advent crown in Blue Peter tradition- however the inevitable fire hazard, of candles and tinsel wasn’t something I could get past and these brownies really are very tasty and are only very slightly flammable.

I always run over to Bakery Cakery to get this recipe when cooking, but I’ve included it here again, for those of you who need to bake RIGHT NOW for your own Tiny Food Christmas Party.

Blue Peter Brownies

Makes 12

100g butter

225g caster sugar

40g cocoa

2 large eggs

A few drops vanilla essence

50g SR flour

50g chocolate chips

– Pre-heat the oven to 180 degrees, gas mark 4.

– Beat the eggs in a large bowl, then add the sugar and mix until smooth.

– Melt the butter in a small pan, then mix in the cocoa powder. Add this mixture, and the vanilla essence, to the egg and sugar mixture. -Sift the flour in to the mixture, and mix together gradually until completely smooth. Add the chocolate chips. Done!

-Spread the mixture into a lined baking tin (one of those small, rectangular, ones – around 10″ x 7″) and place in the oven. Cook for around 20-25 minutes, or until the top has begun to brown.

– Leave to cool in the tin for 5-10 minutes, then turn out onto a baking rack.

(you can use this method…OR as I did for this batch, get distracted halfway through by arrival home of manfriend, forget half the ingredients and have to do some very unorthodox, cake tin mixing, either works bro)

I can’t do a Blue Peter brownie shout out, without paying my respects to George.
George the Blue Peter tortoise, passed onto that Big Lettuce Leaf in the sky 10 years ago. So to celebrate the memory of him walking very slowly around the Blue Peter Studio and the fact that I am old and still sad for a turtle that’s been dead a decade, here’s a picture of a tortoise in Christmas hat.*I can not confirm that the Tortoise featured in this picture, was Blue Peter tortoise George.

Now, enough of dead amphibians and back to baking.
Because it was KLTFCP, I couldn’t just present brownies that I had cut up into little teeny squares, so had to find my festive angle, to match the dazzling candour of the rest of the evening.

I saw these Reindeer cupcakes on BBC Food (because sometimes I just browse recipe websites for fun..And What?!) and thought I could do a slightly wonkier, brownie version.

I just used a spot of black icing to make Milky Buttons into eyeballs.

I added the pretzel antlers buy just squiding into the soft brownie.

And lastly popped on red smarties noses, ‘stuck’ on with red icing.

Notes that must be addressed:1. In two tubes of smarties I only got 4 red smarties, hence the use of pink and orange smarties too, for a more diverse reindeer herd.2. I only decorated one of the brownies, after that my manfriend sous chef did the work as per my instructions.

Anyway, I hope Father Christmas treats you all favourably and the festive period brings some much needed rest to all.

p.s.One final segue of the day…I am trying this Instgram shiz, my name is FUCKOFFBUNTING, follow me if you like, but currently only add photo about once a every three weeks, and they are mostly out of focus
xxx